Wednesday, 27 August 2014

It has been a transforming journey with so many new possibilities that have evolved.

This blog post is a thorough look at our classrooms from the perspective of our staff.

Year 2 Teacher - Carolyn Perlini 2014

‘Choice’ is key to students thriving in a contemporary classroom. In the contemporary learning space students are given the choice to sit, stand or kneel to learn. With this, also comes choice of where they want to learn within the contemporary learning space. My experience of the Year 2 students transitioning to the contemporary learning space did initially pose a few
challenges in regards to the above, especially when it came to making “good”
choices of where to learn. To help our young students transition to being able to choose their own working spaces in a contemporary classroom, it was useful to first teach, role model/practice and provide feedback on how students can make good choices when it comes to their choice of learning spaces. In the beginning, I found it necessary to help direct some students to choose appropriate learning spaces. However, it doesn’t take long for students to take ownership of this and become autonomous. Always: Encourage students to choose a learning space that works for them, tell them to have a go and remind them that mistakes are okay.

Be flexible. I think an important teacher attribute for teaching in a contemporary setting is for the classroom teacher to remain
flexible. Teachers need to be flexible in not only their teaching strategies but also the working spaces they create, so that they are able to provide a stimulating and adaptable learning environment. Even at this young age, students can be involved in creating and deciding different learning spaces. Never shy away from giving new teaching/learning strategies or new furniture configurations a go – you will be amazed at the possibilities!

My thoughts on teaching in a contemporary setting. In the short time that I have been teaching theYear 2 students in a contemporary setting, I have noted an increase in students’ confidence, engagement and ability to be flexible. They are more autonomous, inspired, assume greater responsibility of their learning, and are more willing to take risks and to problem-solve. The journey of teaching in a contemporary classroom setting has been extremely rewarding for me as a teacher. It has inspired me to explore new ways of teaching and learning that could not otherwise be achieved in a traditional classroom setting. I have enjoyed my journey immensely and I am excited for what the future brings.

Year 4 Teacher, Assistant Principal - Adrian Torrese 2014

Our new learning space has provided some key influences in student learning that links with our school vision:

Belonging - working in a collaborative environment enables students to be part of their learning process. There is a sense that "we are in this together."

Independence - this is very visible in our class. Students making decisions about where they will learn best in our class. Obviously the teacher can always coordinate the learning in the class but offering choice seems to be very empowering.

Mastery and Competence - the spaces seem to lend themselves to good learning opportunities. Clearly the teacher's ability to create engaging learning opportunities is still paramount, however these lessons or units of work are often enriched by the flexible space.

Generosity - Like any well managed class, a sense of ownership, being part of our own small community and learning with each other is vital. My observations have been that their is greater opportunity for fostering the idea of being part of something bigger in a contemporary classroom.

Central to all of our observations is the following:

Cool furniture and great technology are wonderful. However visibly effective pedagogy is the glue that binds them both together.

Within less structure their needs to be more structure. It's just not always as visible.

Claire Cooper - Year 5 Teacher 2014

Being a graduate teacher I often get asked by many visitors to our school how I find teaching in a contemporary classroom. My answer is always the same - I love it! Being a first year teacher I don't have much else to compare it to other then a few terms in various schools on prac. There are a number of reasons why I enjoy this setting so much - it is great to watch the students move around the room during lessons - in any one lesson some of my students will move up to 5 or 6 times, yet they are always engaged. This constant movement also allows the students to work with peers that they would not normally have the opportunity to work with if they were stuck at the same desk all day, however, it also gives some of the more introverted students a chance to have some "me" time. I have also noticed a wonderful increase in my students' ability to make "choices" regarding their learning (keeping on task, sitting next to people who wont distract them etc). On top of this ability to move my students love the flexibility of the layout and the fact that they can move the furniture to suit their own needs - I really enjoy seeing the changes that the room goes through during a day - to me, this shows that the whole class was engaged throughout the day.

Gabrielle Trinca - Year 6 Teacher 2014

The Watering Hole:

Working with a small group on the floor.The Watering Hole is another area where students gather but this is with a smaller group. Usually this is used as a area to share information and ideas whilst guiding each other.

My students often use the whiteboard tables for their watering holes. This allows them to write down key points or ideas that are shared and students can then use these at their own pace. If we are working with our MacBooks, there is always a watering hole in front of the Apple TV. This allows them to mirror their activity up onto the screen and share ideas or tools. It almost works a bit like a Genius Bar; an area where my students can go to ask for guidance from a peer.

The Campfire:This is an area where students come together as a whole group to learn from an expert. This expert may be the teacher, a guest to the classroom, a student sharing their knowledge or even an online resource.

If you were to look at a campfire in my classroom, traditional teachers may say it looks messy. This is because I encourage my students to be comfortable. Therefore, there may be some students sitting on the floor, some on stools or couches and others standing. As long as they are giving their full attention to the expert, I do not have a problem with this.

The Cave:

This is an area where students go to work independently and consolidate their thinking. It may be at one of the single desks around the room or on a larger table where students are working independently from the people around them.

I often find my students tucked into corners, sitting just outside the classroom door on top of the stairs, sitting cross legged in the old chimney, lying on the floor behind the couches or working independently under tables. Due to them being comfortable in this environment, they move around and find spaces where they are going to stay on task and complete the assigned work.

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Religious Education 2014 Teacher- Anna SheehyThe Year Six students have been preparing
for the Sacrament of Confirmation. As a part of their preparation several tasks
were set up in order for them to deeper their knowledge about their chosen
saints and the Process of Canonisation.

A website was created so that students had
access to their tasks, resources and rubrics throughout the whole process.
Students have been visiting this website on many occasions to make sure they
are up to date with each task and checking off each part of the rubrics to make
sure they are submitting everything.

Students have been working on these tasks
throughout Term Two and are currently of Task Four. Below you will find a brief
outline of the tasks that the students have been working on.

Task One:

The first task for students was to find out ‘what
is a saint?’ Students watched a Flipped Task and prepared some research
about what constitutes a saint.

Once this was completed, they were grouped and
asked to share their research. They then presented their information, outlining
the main characteristics of a saint.

Each group created a large poster outlining all
of their key points.

Task Two:

The
second task that the Year Six Students needed to complete was a research stage.
They needed to research the Saint whose name they were taking for
Confirmation.

Students needed to include information about
their early life, education, and a timeline of the significant events of their
saint’s life.

As a class, we exploredTimeGlider. This is an online timeline creator tool. Each student set up an
account with their school email address and then we did some explicit lessons
and some Flipped Tasks related to using the tool.

Students needed to identify examples of how the
influence of the Holy Spirit can be seen in the life events and words of their
saints and complete an expose of their lives.

They also needed to outline the reasons why they
make a good Saint, explain why they chose this Saint, and how they relate to
them and their story?

I
encouraged students to be creative with their presentations, letting them
choose how they wished to present it to their peers.

Task Three

During Task Three, students needed to
research the process of Canonisation. Canonisation is the act by which the
Holy Father declares that a Catholic Christian is in the glory of Heaven, that
is they have been declared a Saint.

There are certain steps that are required to be
undertaken in the process of Canonisation and the students needed to display
this in the form of a flow chart.

Some of the students decided to use easel.ly to create
an infographic outlining the process. This is a free web based tool that the
students are very capable of using. Other students used Comic Life and some
opted to create a poster by hand. It was great to see a range of resources
being used.

The Year Six students are currently working
on Task Four. In this task students needed to define what they think are the
ten main qualities of Saints. They needed to create a definition for each of
these and then think of someone, whom they know, who displays these Saint-like
qualities.

These students needed to interview this
person about the ten qualities they had chosen and are now using this
information to create a 2-3 minute speech.

All of the Year Six students are confident
speakers and will be well prepared for their speeches. I am very much looking
forward to the listening to each of them.

There is a final task where students will
be researching Australian heroes who they feel may be Saints in the future.
Students will be creating a persuasive argument in an online format to complete
this task.

This semester the Year 3 class are using the app Kids Journal to record short daily journal entries. The students, filled with motivation and engagement, type their thoughts and recount their activities from the previous or current day.The app has icons that allow them to depict their mood, the day's weather and take a current photo of themselves.The Year 3 teacher cleverly integrates this process into the student's English learning program. RAZ - Kids is now being used widely at Sacred Heart as a supporting reading tool. The variety of text types and the relevant reading levels makes the tool very popular with our students.As part of their lesson flow the students move to relevant reading on RAZ Kids once they have completed their journal entries.

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Term 2 2014 has seen the Year 2s at Sacred Heart transform into a contemporary space.

The teachers and students are also part of a study through Curtin University in understanding the educational and physiological impact of a contemporary space.

The class was set as a traditional arrangement in Term 1. The teachers and students were then fitted with a movement measuring device over a week that measured their level of movement. Classroom observation also took place during that week.

A follow up observation and study will be conducted in Term 2 to measure and compare the outcomes.

Both Year 2 teachers have made informed and proactive decisions that have enabled a smooth and harmonious transition. They have both adjusted to the environment very quickly. Their expertise and professionalism in educating our students has definitely assisted in this.

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Blended Learning is taking shape in Year 4. By creating screencasts to demonstrate and share directions, Google Docs and iBooks Author, Mr. Torrese, the Year 4 Teacher has been able to connect aspects of a project and the learning that will place in the classroom.

·Teacher integration of 21st century planning and learning
strategies through further PD and opportunities and sharing of knowledge
gained.

·Parent involvement and participation in information sessions.

·Survey distributions in 2014 and each year following for parent and
student feedback on the purchase and roll out process as well as their thoughts
on the effectiveness of the program. Students to be surveyed regularly
throughout the year.

Our Digital Licence for Students

Practical Use - Care and Maintenance.

Take care of your screen. Clean by following the correct directions.

Sweep and Sleep strategy. Sweep your hand across your keyboard then close the
lid for it to sleep.

Always place your device inside its bag, then into your school bag.

Never walk out of the class with your device in your hands.

Keep food and drinks away from your device.

Have
your device charged up for the next day at school.

Cyber Safety

Don't place pictures of yourself on line.

Don’t give out your personal information.

Don't give out your passwords to anyone.

Ask an adult before going to an unfamiliar website.

Inform an adult if you see
something on the internet you are not comfortable with or you think is
inappropriate.

Avoid clicking on unfamiliar offers or sites.

Don't accept new contacts that you do not know at all. Ask for adult help.

Never use someone else's password for anything. Let an adult know if you
accidently know someone's password.

Educational ToolYour
digital device is for learning only at school. Not
for playing games. Have
your device charged up for the next day at school. Only
work from the programs on your device that your teacher has asked you to use.

Find
an adult if you see or read something inappropriate.

Well Being

Be careful of your posture when using your digital device. Sit up straight, keep
the screen away from being too close to your eyes, keep both feet on the
floor.

Put your digital device on a cushion or stool, not on your lap.
Put a pillow behind your back if you are on a couch.

Move into a different position when you start to become uncomfortable.

Digital Etiquette

Look away when someone is typing their password.

Use headphones or keep the volume low when you are working near others.

Avoid copying the work of your classmates. Ask permission from them before
you look at the work on their screen.

Digital Property

If you see a copyright symbol it means it can't be copied.

The information, pictures, music and videos on the internet belong to the
people who made them.
It is against the law to copy their property.

Only use information when
permission is given from a website.

SHPSH Educational Technology
Guidelines

A Sacred Heart Community Round Table
Discussion – December 2012

What are
your beliefs and assumptions about Educational Technology?

What
values do you think we as a community should ensure we maintain and/or develop
as we take this journey in Educational Technology and 21st Century Learning?
How does this link with our Vision Statement?

·Our
Catholic identity is a relevant part of Educational Technology.

·Teaching
and learning is about building character.

·Technology
use in the near future will be much more embedded in learning.

·We can be
engaging our students more.

·Continual
changes in technology are inevitable. We should help students to
understand this.

·We cannot
replace social skills and human interaction.

·Adult
role modelling is vital.

·Technology
is a medium to compliment teaching and learning strategies.

·Parents
need input and information.

·Teach
skills that provide life-long learning.

·Assists
in self-directed learning.

·With the
change there is a sense of fear.

·A need
for digital etiquette.

·Kids
react to digital equipment.

What do
you think is expected from Sacred Heart when providing Educational Technology
in a way that encourages learning and digital responsibility?

Provide parents with information for how to get
help and understanding.

To follow up from our community round table
discussion, some of our students from Years 4,5 and 6 discussed the following
questions and the following responses came from the conversation. Their
feedback also informed our practise and Digital Licence process.

What are
your thoughts and feelings about using Technology at school for learning?

·It makes
people want to learn.

·Gives
them motivation and determination to learn.

·Can use
technology in your future employment.

·Helps us
get ready for high school.

·Don't have
to carry as many books.

·Our
parents can see what we are learning at school.

·It is
portable.

·Helps us
to connect with and learn from others.

·Able to
present our work in creative and interesting ways.

·We should
still learn how to do handwriting.

·We would
have less anxiety about forgetting work.

·We don't
have to use technology all the time, for some things we don't need computers.

What do
you think is expected from Sacred Heart when providing Technology in a way that
encourages learning and digital responsibility?

·Strict
rules about social media.

·We should
be taught to use it safely and responsibly.

·Students
learn from using technology. Learning not playing!

·The
school should monitor Internet use by everyone.

·The focus
should be learning about the subject.

·Let
parents know that the learning is happening.

What do
you think is expected of families and students when using Technology at home
and at school?

·Separate
learning from playing.

·Use only
during school time.

·Be
careful with handling the computers.

·Parents
and the school are responsible for the safe use and the monitoring.

·Incorporate
but restrict technology use in their daily life.

·Students
should use technology purposefully.

·Students
need to be organised with charging batteries and packing laptops ready for the
next day.

·Students
should have an organised hard drive.

·Students
with their own laptops should have a digital licence. Inappropriate use may
mean the licence is taken away for a period of time.

Student Misconduct

Technology Misconduct includes:

1.Cyber
Bullying or taunting

2.Accessing
inappropriate information or images

3.Using
a digital device at school in a manner that does not enhance learning. For
example, accessing and playing un-educational games.

4.Not
following the directions and instructions set out by a teacher in a learning
situation.

If there are incidents of student misconduct in
regard to the use of technology devices, parents will be immediately notified
and depending on the severity of the incident this may result in the removal of
the student from the digital learning program for a period of time.

If this does occur the school and teacher will make
alternative provisions that still enable the student/s to learn the same
content. Consequences will be restorative and directed in assisting the student
to develop a sense and responsibility and accountability when using technology.
Parents will also be advised on how they can support their child to learn from
the incident.

Home use Guidelines for our Parents

Sacred Heart, Highgate suggests the following guidelines for technology
use at home.

·Always
ensure your child is interacting with a digital device in a shared area of your
home with an adult present and aware of the context that your child is using
the device.

·Because
students use their device during their school day, set time limits in regard to
technology use after school. Use a visible timer if necessary. Maintain uses of
laptops or other devices only for homework and preparation for school learning.
Under supervision allow recreational use of devices for weekends only.

In regard to student “down-time”
activities, traditional play methods
(sport, puzzles, lego, construction, drawing/painting, learning a musical
instrument) is always recommended instead of time on a digital device.

·Any
student use of social media or digital interaction between students (outside of
school hours) is not supported by the school. Parent should be aware whether
their child is engaging in such practice.

·Consider the following questions
when your child is using a digital device at home:

1.Do
I know exactly what he/she is doing?

2.Is
this beneficial to his/her learning?

3.Is
the time spent on the device appropriate and does it compromise his/her
wellbeing?